Hi all! 

Today I am ranking every shocking twist from the Saw franchise. I’ve been meaning to do this for quite some time. If you wish to check out my ranking of the franchise, click here. If you wish to see my five favourite traps, click here. Saw is known for its epic, blindsiding twists. The minute Zepp’s Theme starts to play, you know you’re about to be gagged. Some films contain multiple twists, so I’m going to stick to one from each. However, I will list the additional ones below. I shouldn’t have to say this, but just in case – a HUGE spoiler warning is in order. Without further ado, let’s get into it! 

1.) Saw (2004) – ‘Dead’ Man On The Floor 

The twist from the very first Saw film is by far the most shocking. Before I wrote this post, I looked up the best twists in movie history. This one appeared in at least seven different articles. I still remember the first time I saw John Kramer stand up from bathroom floor. I gasped. Nobody could ever have predicted it. Essentially, we were meant to believe that the anonymous person lying on the tiles was dead from the beginning, but not only is he revealed to be very much alive, he is also the serial killer that put Adam and Lawrence in the trap to begin with. Pair that scene with the heart-racing theme music and Adam’s shocked face, you cannot deny its impact. It will never be topped, no matter how many Saw movies are made. Game Over! 

Additional Twists: 

– Adam knew who Lawrence was before their game began.

– Jigsaw was Lawrence’s cancer patient.

2.) Saw III (2006) – Amanda’s Game 

In second place, I had to put the twist from Saw III. It is the most deeply layered instalment, with so many power plays, you need multiple viewings to truly appreciate it. This one is a bit more complicated to explain to first-time viewers. Basically, Amanda (Jigsaw’s apprentice), was put into her own game without realising it. It appears to viewers as though John Kramer is testing a man named Jeff Denlon, plus his surgeon, Lynn, and whilst that is also true, the real test belongs to Amanda. He wanted to see if she had what it took to carry on his legacy after he passed. We learn in future Saw films, she was being blackmailed by Kramer’s other apprentice (Mark Hoffman) at the time. This explains her poor behaviour, but nevertheless, she fails. It’s a huge shock to realise a game within a game was being played. It’s the reason Saw III is my second favourite movie in the franchise. 

Additional Twists: 

– Jeff and Lynn Denlon were married. They didn’t realise they were in the same game until the very end.

– John Kramer abducted Jeff’s daughter. When he said Jeff will meet the man responsible for taking his child, he meant himself. 

– John was Jeff’s final test at letting go. 

– Amanda is revealed as the one putting her victims into unwinnable traps (the Classroom Trap and the Angel Trap). 

3.) Saw II (2005) – The Pre-Recorded Game

In third place, we have Saw II. For this instalment, I’m going with the pre-recorded game twist. Detective Eric Matthews learns his son has been put into a Jigsaw game. Despite their rocky relationship, he is determined to rescue him. He manages to discover where Jigsaw is hiding and is told that all he has to do to get his son back, is to sit down and talk with him. If he manages to do this, he will find Daniel in a ‘safe’ place. Eric soon discovers a bunch of computers playing out the game in the Nerve Gas House (in what we believe is real time). Witnessing Daniel almost die, he begins to care less about talking and more about finding his location. He manages to beat the serial killer into submission and together, they drive to the scene of the trap. However, when he arrives, he realises the game had already happened. The computers were playing a recording. He lands in his own trap and back at Jigsaw’s hideout, Daniel emerges from a literal safe – hence the wordplay from earlier. It is absolute genius. I love this one. 

Additional Twists: 

– Amanda is revealed to be Jigsaw’s apprentice; not an actual participant of the Nerve Gas House game.

– The players in the game had all been framed by Detective Eric Matthews, uniting them against a common enemy and therefore, making Daniel a huge target. 

– The combination to the safe was on the back of their necks the entire time. If they had just worked together, they could’ve retrieved an antidote to the nerve gas. 

4.) Saw IV (2007) – The Parallel Timeline 

I feel like Saw IV doesn’t get enough credit for its brilliant twist. Nobody ever talks about it! At the end, we learn that the game being played out in Saw IV, is happening at the same exact time as Saw III. They also take place at the same giant warehouse, just in different rooms. Detective Agent Strahm stumbles upon Jeff Denlon, fresh off of killing Jigsaw. Clearly distraught and unstable, Strahm shoots him. This film is also where we learn about Detective Mark Hoffman’s involvement, proving Jigsaw had a lot of extra help. It’s not as impactful as the top three, but I still think it was very clever. 

Additional Twists: 

– Detective Mark Hoffman is revealed to be Jigsaw’s other apprentice, alongside Amanda. 

– All Detective Rigg had to do was not save anyone and he would’ve saved everyone. Confusing, but it makes sense in context. 

– Cecil caused Jigsaw’s wife to miscarriage, sparking his serial-killing ways. 

5.) Saw V (2008) – 10 Pints Of Sacrifice 

In fifth place, we conveniently have Saw V’s twist – 10 Pints of Sacrifice. This film really highlights how much Jigsaw understands human nature. He is long-dead by this instalment, but Hoffman continues to carry out his work. Five participants are put in the same game, united by their callous actions that resulted in the deaths of eight people. They sabotage one another, until only two people remain to face the final trap. The trap is titled as above, because all five people were meant to work together; give two pints of blood each and ensure their freedom. Unfortunately, with only two people, they need to give five pints each, almost killing the pair. Jigsaw knew they would work against, rather than with one another. It shows that people are inherently selfish but also, do not think compassionately (or logically), in the face of their impending deaths. 

Additional Twists: 

– The Glass Coffin was actually the safe haven. The room around it was the trap, resulting in Strahm meeting a rather sticky end! 

– Hoffman framed Jigsaw by putting his sister’s killer in a trap that resembled one of his own. He is tested and made an apprentice after that. 

6.) Saw VI (2009) – Not William’s Family

The last twist I truly love before they start to get a bit questionable, is from Saw VI. William Easton, the executive of an insurance company, wakes up in his own game. We find out through flashbacks that he had previously denied John Kramer the chance to trial an experimental cancer treatment. The scenario takes place in an abandoned zoo. There is a mother and son locked in a cage, waiting for William to complete his challenges. As viewers, we assume they are his family. William Easton makes it to the last room, only to discover the mother and son have been given the choice to end his life or let him live. The reveal is that they are of no relation to him. It turns out, he rejected an insurance claim for their late sick father/husband, resulting in his death. It’s so intense.

Additional Twists: 

– Amanda was also involved in Jigsaw’s wife’s miscarriage, alongside Cecil. That information is what Hoffman used to blackmail her with in Saw III. 

– Jill Tuck reveals to Hoffman that Jigsaw never trusted him. His dying will was for her to put him in the infamous Bear Trap, from which he manages to escape. 

– Detective Perez is revealed to have survived the events from Saw IV. 

7.) Jigsaw (2017) – The Victim Becomes The Master

From here, things start to go downhill. In fourth-last place, we have Jigsaw. 10 years after John Kramer’s death, a series of murders all bearing the same markings as Jigsaw’s, leads law enforcement to investigate. As they work to find the killer, five people wake up in a game filled with deadly traps. They try to survive until the very end but inevitably, drop off one by one. In the final scene, it’s revealed that the killer is Logan Nelson, who was placed in his own game a decade ago. Jigsaw saved him out of mercy and he became John’s very first disciple. Logan served him long before the original bathroom trap. I really struggle with this film in general. It feels very disconnected from the others that came before it. 

Additional Twists: 

– Jigsaw’s corpse is revealed to be missing from his grave. Where did it end up? 

– Anna is revealed to be John’s former neighbour. She is the reason her own child died, despite blaming it on her partner. 

– The Shotgun Trap was the key to saving the two final victims. Anna did not pay heed to John’s warning, ending her own life and destroying the key in the process. 

8.) Saw VII (2010) – Jigsaw’s Secret Apprentice 

Coming in third-last, we have Saw VII. This twist I saw coming a mile away! Whilst Bobby Dagen is working his way through his own game, Mark Hoffman (Jigsaw’s most ruthless apprentice), does his best to kill John’s wife: Jill Tuck and become the sole prodigy to carry on Jigsaw’s legacy. Little does he know, Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Saw), survived the bathroom trap and rose to be John’s most trusted disciple. He eliminates Hoffman and the movie ends there, indicating the work could continue in future films. I always say the twist would have been more impactful, had Lawrence not appeared until the very end. He pops up in the beginning, letting us know something is suss. It didn’t shock me when he pulled off the pig mask at the end. I was expecting it. 

Additional Twists: 

– Jill Tuck ends up being the first proper victim of the Bear Trap. 

– The survivors from the trap at the beginning, were made apprentices alongside Dr Gordon according to the film’s BTS commentary. 

– Bobby Dagen’s final test is to put himself into the same trap he fabricated for money. 

9.) Spiral (2021) – The Copycat Killer

In second-last place, we have Spiral. Similar to Saw VII, this twist was super predictable. Laughably so! When a Jigsaw copycat begins targeting the precinct, Zeke Banks (Chris Rock) and his partner, Detective Schenk, try to track down the twisted killer. Little does Zeke know, these murders aren’t random – they are personal. The copycat murderer turns out to be Schenk; determined to take down all corrupt cops, due to witnessing his father die at the hands of one. I clocked this one immediately. We never actually see Schenk die, just a flayed corpse that is supposed to be his. I knew at that moment he had orchestrated his own death. I wish it had been more shocking, but it wasn’t. 

Additional Twists:

– Zeke’s father – the former Chief of Police – was actually corrupt. 

10.) Saw X (2023) – Scamming Lovers

Last, but certainly not least, we have Saw X’s terrible twist. I don’t even consider it to be a twist. The ending reveals that John had tricked Cecilia into luring Parker (who was part of the scam – not surprising at all), to the facility. He removed gunpowder from Parker’s bullets, ensuring Cecilia would have to kill her lover to survive. I just don’t understand how this was meant to be shocking. Jigsaw is known for thinking ten steps ahead. He clearly had a plan all along, I was never worried about that. I kept waiting for something jaw-dropping to happen and it never did. Unfortunately, it disappointed me. 

Additional Twists: 

– John was scammed by a fake cancer trial treatment (this was shown in the trailer). 

– Carlos ended up in the blood-boarding trap over Amanda. This one was more impressive. 

– There is a mid-credit scene with Hoffman and Jigsaw in the original bathroom, putting another victim to the test – one that had a hand in scamming John. 

Thanks so much for reading! How would you rank the Saw twists? 

Peace & Love xoxo